McDermott acquires pipelay and construction vessel

McDermott International, Inc. has recently acquired the newly built pipelay and construction vessel, Amazon, which will better position the company for both ultra-deepwater and subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) projects.

The company plans to upgrade the vessel in order to address the needs of the ultra-deepwater market with a state-of-the-art J-lay system that is outfitted with the latest vessel technology.

In the near term, McDermott plans to make minor capital expenditure investments to bring the vessel up to its standards. However, as the company finalises its upgrade plans, it plans to use the vessel on existing construction and pipelay projects.

Completed in 2014, the Amazon is equipped with 49 514 ft2 (4600 m2) of deck space, two 400 t cranes, a service speed of 12 knots and accommodation for up to 200 crew and service staff.

“This is a great opportunity for the company to expand the technical capabilities of our global fleet and grow in the deepwater and SURF markets and greatly increase our ultra-deepwater project coverage,” said David Dickson, President and CEO of McDermott. “Due to current market conditions and the opportunistic nature of the transaction, we were able to acquire what is essentially a new, enabling asset at a fraction of the original build cost.”